-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's the battle of the tech titans . No , not Apple versus Samsung . Sony has gone head-to-head with Microsoft after releasing their next-generation gaming platforms for the holiday shopping season .

And according to a recent sales report , Sony 's PlayStation4 seems to have won the first round of the battle .

The PS4 sold 1.25 million units in the United States during November , while the Xbox One sold 750,000 , said Michael Pachter , an analyst at Wedbush Morgan , in a recent note to investors .

As for global sales , the Japanese manufacturer announced they had sold more than 2.1 million PS4 units worldwide at the beginning of December . Microsoft say they sold over 2 million systems .

With the XBox One starting at $ 499 , and the PS4 at $ 399 , Pachter says the the $ 100 price difference is responsible for Sony 's success : `` The reason Sony beats Microsoft is solely the price . Microsoft loses the next generation unless they cut price . ''

In at the starting line

From the start , it was far from clear which console would reign over the world of gaming .

`` These are two systems that are well-balanced to keep the furious battle between Xbox and PlayStation going for the next decade ... which can only be good for gamers everywhere , '' says David Hutchinson , chief video games writer for The Times of London .

The tech landscape has transformed drastically since the last time these two electronics giants went head to head with the Xbox 360 in 2005 and the PlayStation 3 in 2007 . Back then , smartphones and tablet devices did n't even exist .

While PS4 is being touted as the perfect machine for social media lovers -- offering games that players can share easily with friends -- Xbox One is said to be ideal for those after a multimedia machine that can multitask and switch between games , movies , music and applications quickly and seamlessly .

`` The PlayStation 4 has been set as more of a games machine versus the Xbox One 's aim to be the multimedia entertainment center at the heart of your living room ... Both systems are essentially PCs in a console shell , '' explains Hutchinson .

The two systems have everything from motion tracking and facial recognition to cameras and redesigned controllers .

What 's more , the Xbox One can not only be plugged into your cable box for on-demand TV and movies , but can also be personalized to a user 's interests running a series of apps and programs , including Skype , NetFlix and LoveFilm .

Smart strategies

Seven years ago , Microsoft pushed development on the Xbox 360 so that they could put their console on the market a year ahead of the PlayStation 3 . Hutchinson says this move gave Microsoft plenty of time `` to gain an audience within a gaming community where the PlayStation had previously ruled supreme . ''

`` They gained a huge market share in that unchallenged year , '' he explains .

`` Sony are obviously aware how this has affected their market dominance , so in this cycle of consoles they have made sure to release the PS4 slightly ahead of their rival in the U.S. to make sure they are n't left behind again . ''

At the industry 's E3 conference in June , not long after Sony went public with their early release date , Microsoft announced they 'd priced their console $ 100 more than Sony 's PS4 . Though the news did n't sit well with gaming enthusiasts , Microsoft refused to budge on the price .

A gamer backlash ensued when fans found out the Xbox One was not going to allow offline gameplay or secondhand games to be used on the device . In turn , resistance from fans forced Microsoft to reverse its decision , explains Hutchinson .

`` Xbox were wise to backtrack on their initial idea that you would n't be able to easily resell secondhand games or pass old games onto friends more than once , '' says Hutchinson .

`` It showed a lack of understanding of the importance of selling on games for younger gamers , but also showed Microsoft 's maturity in knowing when to backtrack if mistakes have been made . ''

The death of consoles ?

In recent years , the video game industry has seen users develop a growing appetite for mobile devices . This has led some to question the future of the console industry .

`` Rumors of gaming console death are a bit premature , '' says Eric Smith , a consumer electronics expert from Strategy Analytics .

`` It 's been a down year in 2013 -LSB- for consoles -RSB- , but going forward , this next generation is going to boost sales for several years to come . ''

Industry analysts attribute few top game releases and the tail end of the last generation of consoles as contributing factors for this year 's downturn .

Meanwhile mobile play continues to grow at a significant rate . Research firm Gartner forecast in their latest report that revenue from mobile gaming alone is predicted to `` nearly double between 2013 and 2015 from $ 13.2 billion to $ 22 billion . ''

`` Casual gamers I think have moved on most likely to mobile platforms . Tablets and phones are cheaper -LSB- and -RSB- more easily accessible , '' says Smith .

`` These are impressive machines that have been released , they are enjoying great sales and beforehand , they were enjoying great pre-orders ... But the audience has shrunk and I do n't think those casual gamers are going to return . ''

So with casual gamers moving over to their smartphones , hardcore gamers have been left to save the console for future generations .

Smith says : '' -LSB- Xbox One -RSB- does gaming as well , but it is targeted towards a much broader audience and I think there is a risk in that gamers look at it and say : ` This is not for me , this is not built for gamers first ' ... But at the same time , if these functions do catch up , -LSB- Microsoft -RSB- stands to gain sales down the road . ''

Meanwhile , Hutchinson hopes that neither electronics giant will reign supreme as it means a better and more competitive experience for the fans themselves .

`` The joint dominance of the Xbox 360 and the PS3 marked a great era for the gaming public , '' he says . `` With no monopoly , gamers get better deals on games and hardware after the initial round of console launches are out of the way . Long may this continue . ''

@highlight

Microsoft and Sony release their next-gen gaming consoles

@highlight

Xbox One focuses on inclusive entertainment experience , PlayStation focuses on gamers

@highlight

Mobile gaming becomes fastest-growing area of gaming industry , say researchers